Crusades [VHS] [1995]

Co-writer and presenter of Crusades, Terry Jones has a solid academic background in medieval history, but he's also an ex-Python, which makes for an entertaining combination of erudition and wit in this four-part BBC series. Instead of the usual parade of talking heads, Crusades employs actors in costume, actors pretending to be mosaics, and some nifty computer animation to enliven proceedings--although nothing compares to the animation of the presenter himself, whose enthusiasm is repeatedly demonstrated, whether in his interview with the descendant of a divinely inspired goose or in his game attempt to walk across the desert in full armour. Jones tackles the Byzantine (pardon the pun) complexities of 11th- and 12th-century European and Middle-Eastern history with a confident lightness, for example when describing the knightly conflict over the apparently pacifist teaching of Jesus ("Knights had no teddy-bears, no wonder they lashed out in a crisis") or the recruiting methods for the first crusade (shown as a propaganda newsreel).

Refreshingly, he is also at pains to redress the historical imbalance by presenting the Crusades from the Arabic perspective, too, devoting lengthy but always enthralling exposition to the origin of the Islamic Jihad, and travelling across the Middle East to do so. Indeed, Jones enables us to view the shocking depredations of the crusaders through the eyes of the highly civilised, highly sophisticated Arabs whose lands were invaded by (literally) hordes of boorish, illiterate, savage, murderous Western barbarians who believed themselves to be on a mission from God to kill (and sometimes even eat) every pagan in the Holy Land (and rather a lot of Eastern Christians along the way, too). Fascinating and entertaining, if only all history could be made this much fun. For those who want to read more, there is a companion book of the series. --Mark Walker